The Crossbill Team
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and two other Members of Parliament have been booked by the Varanasi Police over a protest held inside the Parliament complex, following allegations that a demonstration by opposition leaders hurt the religious sentiments of Sanatan Dharma followers.
The FIR names Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Pappu Yadav from Bihar's Purnia, and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad from Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad. The case was registered at the Kotwali police station in Varanasi after a delegation of seers submitted a complaint.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal said the police registered the FIR under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to the complainants, the protest had damaged their reputation and offended the sentiments of millions of followers of Sanatan Dharma.
They argued that while political dissent is a legitimate democratic exercise, using religious attire and sacred traditions as part of political demonstrations was unacceptable.
The complainants specifically objected to the role played by Pappu Yadav during the protest, alleging that it amounted to an insult to Lord Ram.
"No follower of Sanatan Dharma can forget this act. It has hurt our religious sentiments. So we have demanded that a case be registered," Balak Das said.
The controversy relates to a demonstration staged by MPs belonging to the INDIA bloc near the Makar Dwar staircase in Parliament on Friday.
The protest was led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and focused on allegations of donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as well as the police action against student protesters during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march.
As part of the demonstration, opposition MPs placed donation boxes near the entrance to symbolise the alleged diversion of temple donations. MPs were seen placing money into the boxes, while Pappu Yadav, dressed in saffron robes and seated beside them, enacted a skit in which he slipped the money into his pockets, illustrating the opposition's allegations.
During the protest, INDIA bloc MPs also demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and questioned his absence from the proceedings of Parliament.
The registration of the FIR has added a legal dimension to the political confrontation between the ruling alliance and the opposition, with the Parliament protest now becoming the subject of criminal proceedings over allegations that the demonstration crossed the line between political expression and religious offence.
The FIR names Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Independent MP Pappu Yadav from Bihar's Purnia, and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad from Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad. The case was registered at the Kotwali police station in Varanasi after a delegation of seers submitted a complaint.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal said the police registered the FIR under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 302 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to the complainants, the protest had damaged their reputation and offended the sentiments of millions of followers of Sanatan Dharma.
They argued that while political dissent is a legitimate democratic exercise, using religious attire and sacred traditions as part of political demonstrations was unacceptable.
The complainants specifically objected to the role played by Pappu Yadav during the protest, alleging that it amounted to an insult to Lord Ram.
"No follower of Sanatan Dharma can forget this act. It has hurt our religious sentiments. So we have demanded that a case be registered," Balak Das said.
The controversy relates to a demonstration staged by MPs belonging to the INDIA bloc near the Makar Dwar staircase in Parliament on Friday.
The protest was led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and focused on allegations of donation theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya as well as the police action against student protesters during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march.
As part of the demonstration, opposition MPs placed donation boxes near the entrance to symbolise the alleged diversion of temple donations. MPs were seen placing money into the boxes, while Pappu Yadav, dressed in saffron robes and seated beside them, enacted a skit in which he slipped the money into his pockets, illustrating the opposition's allegations.
During the protest, INDIA bloc MPs also demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and questioned his absence from the proceedings of Parliament.
The registration of the FIR has added a legal dimension to the political confrontation between the ruling alliance and the opposition, with the Parliament protest now becoming the subject of criminal proceedings over allegations that the demonstration crossed the line between political expression and religious offence.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment